By
Sarah Whyte

Ticket scammer arrested

Fans thought they were getting a good deal for the hottest shows next month.

Little did they know they were allegedly buying non-existent tickets from a 21-year-old scammer from Ingleburn.

Police arrested the 21-year-old man last week, claiming he sold fake tickets to the Swedish House Mafia concerts in Sydney and Melbourne; the Soundwave music festivals in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane; and tickets to the AFL grand final in September.

Police allege the man was selling the tickets online for between $200 and $800.

Over 18 months, the man requested his victims deposit their payment into one of three bank accounts, police say.

The man was charged with 11 offences, including nine counts of dishonestly obtaining property by deception.

Police said they were still searching for some unlucky fans who unknowingly bought the fake tickets.

“We have identified nine people so far, and detectives are appealing to the public for any further information in relation to the matter,” Detective Chief Inspector Mark Brett from Macquarie Fields Local Area said.

A spokesman from Totem OneLove, John Curtin, who is promoting the Swedish House Mafia concert on February 2 in Sydney, said they had already experienced "five to 10" scamming incidents for the popular Swedish DJs, whose concerts sold out in two and half hours.

"It's getting more prevalent," Curtin said.

"Events are getting more and more popular so we are getting to the point where we are working really closely with the ticketing agencies to really try and stamp it out.

"I would never suggest to buy tickets from Gumtree or eBay because... you don't know whether it's legitimate or not," he said.

With the rise of ticket agencies using electronic tickets, fake tickets were increasingly hard to track, Curtin said.

Under Victorian legislation, it is illegal to re-sell any AFL tickets "at face value", the league's spokesman Patrick Keane said.

"We would urge all people at all times to only buy tickets through a registered outlet because they are the only ones who have the right to sell them," he said.

A Consumer Affairs Victoria spokesperson said it was increasingly hard for people who had been scammed to get their money back.

“If you can't contact that person or they refuse to pass on the refund, you will need to take legal action to recover your money.”

All five Soundwave festivals have now sold out, including the Sydney show on February 24 at the Olympic showgrounds.

The man was granted conditional bail to face Campbelltown Local Court on February 13.